-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than half a million people a year flock to the Blue Mountains National Park , Australia 's most accessible wilderness , to see its impressive peaks and ancient rainforest .

But Australia is grappling with a dilemma : how to balance conservation with the need for tourist spending .

`` Although it looks gorgeous and beautiful it is a park under pressure -- there are a lot of vulnerable species in this national park , '' said Tara Cameron , a local teacher and President of Blue Mountains Conservation Society .

`` It 's not a completely resilient piece of nature we can do anything with . ''

Maintaining wilderness is an expensive business , and visitor numbers have fallen in recent years .

The number of trips including an overnight stay has almost halved in the last decade , from 1.045 million in 1999 , according to Tourism Research Australia figures quoted in the Sydney Daily Telegraph .

They show an 18 percent drop in one year , from 687,000 in 2008 to 563,000 last year .

The New South Wales government now wants to increase both tourist numbers and spending by attracting visitors interested in a more comfortable , less rugged experience .

Its tourism strategy has attracted criticism for refusing to rule out development within the park .

Mark Jarvis , who runs a hotel in Katoomba , the main tourist town in the Blue Mountains , just an hour and a half from Sydney , said : `` We 're very concerned because the uniqueness of area revolves around the fact that we sit in between World Heritage parks .

`` So the fact that they are looking at developing , the fact that if there is a potential to do it , it 's not right for this area .

`` It 's not in Sydney 's interests to see this area develop -- the attraction for Sydney people to come here is our lack of development . ''

Cameron agreed : `` What I see happening in New South Wales is a distraction and diversion away from nature conservation as the primary purpose of parks -- and if we do n't focus on that the standards and the state of our parks will slowly decline . ''

However , Randal Walker , chairman of Blue Mountains Tourism , argued that it is possible to develop sustainable tourism without damaging the natural beauty that visitors come to see .

`` If there was increased interest in development , I think those investors would only do it in terms of : is it sustainable ? '' said Walker . `` Is there going to be a return on investment ? And it 's going to be in built-up areas where zoning allows it . I do n't think there would be any development that would be a negative impact on the environment . ''

`` We have to have a sustainable impact on the natural asset , which all tourism operators value and treasure and want to preserve . ''

Penelope Figgis , a government advisor on conservation and tourism , also believes the park has to develop .

She said : `` Everybody is looking for how we can make national parks relevant into the future . We have very urbanized population who are not as connected with nature .

`` The New South Wales government wanted to see how we could connect with nature but also at the same time stimulate regional economies through tourism activities related to nature conservation .

`` I ca n't think of a better way to persuade somebody to be an advocate for a beautiful and wild area than going there and immersing themselves in that experience , '' she added .

The danger in this quest for something new , is turning nature into a commodity , argued Cameron .

`` I think national parks and nature is worth more than just being the new thing , the sort of new product , '' she said .

`` We have 92 percent of the state of New South Wales that is taken up by people .

`` Only eight percent is national park . They 're the bits that we 've put aside for nature -- do we really need to encroach on those as well .

`` The coffee shop is not an endangered species . Humans are doing very well -- we are looking after ourselves very well . At some point we need to say : ` When is it nature 's turn ? ' ''

Catriona Davies contributed to this report

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More than 500,000 people visited Blue Mountains last year , but that 's a big drop on previous years

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Local authorities want to balance conservation with the need for tourist spending

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A new tourism strategy aims to attract visitors seeking comfort